Author Visits

​David Meissner is an award-winning author and former classroom teacher who can create dynamic presentations and workshops that are tailored to your audience and educational goals.

David has written 20 books for young people, including Call of the Klondike, winner of the Golden Kite Award for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. He also writes articles for Highlights Magazine for Children.

David can visit your school in person or connect with your class via Skype. He can present in English or Spanish.

Below you will find information on presentation options and logistics. Just email David to discuss a visit to your school.

Presentations

Authors Are People, Too (K-5)

​Authors can be a mystery to young students. Their names appear on the covers of books, but are they real people? David Meissner demystifies this question by sharing his own writing journey and showing videos clips from interviews he conducted with renowned children’s book authors and illustrators, including Kate DiCamillo, Mo Willems, Mary Pope Osborne, Jack Gantos, R.L. Stine, Chris van Allsburg, and Rick Riordan. Upon learning about the childhoods, inspirations, and breakthroughs of successful authors and illustrators, students will be inspired to pursue their own writing and illustrating projects.

When researching his book, Call of the Klondike, David hiked from Alaska into Canada on the historic Chilkoot Trail for five days. He chronicled this journey in My Gold Rush Adventure, an article that appeared in Highlights Magazine in February 2015. During this presentation, David reads and discusses the article, shows slides from his trip, answers questions, and discusses the writing process, including the role of research. Students will learn about the Klondike gold rush, one of the great adventures in North American history.

How would your students like a classroom visit from Traveler Dave? He speaks four languages, has visited over 30 countries, and will arrive in your classroom with a big backpack full of travel essentials. Traveler Dave can bring the world to your classroom through stories, slides, videos, artifacts, music, and activities. Topics can include his year backpacking around South America, life in an indigenous village in Ecuador, the lives of Brazilian children, studying in Europe as an exchange student, traveling tips, language lessons, and more. Presentations are fully customizable – just ask!

​Understanding The Call of the Wild – and Meeting The Real Buck (5-12)

The Call of the Wild has gripped readers’ imaginations for more than a century. The setting for this American classic comes to life in David’s nonfiction book, Call of the Klondike, which recounts the adventures of two gold seekers who befriended Jack London in real life. London later returned to California and based his famous canine character, Buck, on one of their dogs. In this presentation, David walks students through the history of the Klondike gold rush and makes connections to The Call of the Wild. In its starred review, Kirkus wrote that Call of the Klondike is “an excellent companion to The Call of the Wild.” Booklist agreed that it is “a natural companion for Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and other historical-fiction works about the Klondike gold rush.” Teachers are welcome to use David’s free Discussion & Companion Guide.

David spent four years researching and writing Call of the Klondike. Had he not discovered an old diary, delved through paper and digital archives, interviewed historians, and traveled to Alaska and Canada, his book would not have been as authentic. During this presentation and discussion, David walks students through his research journey, which was full of leads, dead ends, discovery, excitement, and adventure. Students will learn to identify authentic research, evaluate the legitimacy of sources, and incorporate primary documents into their writing.

From a bag of old letters and telegrams to the winning of The Golden Kite Award, this presentation walks students through the research, writing, and publication process behind Call of the Klondike. David’s slideshow includes historical images as well as photographs from his research trip to Seattle, Alaska, and Canada. Students will learn about the Klondike gold rush in captivating detail and reflect on whether they would have attempted the journey themselves.

​Students of all ages can become frustrated when they realize that writing is not easy. It takes hard work, patience, persistence, and a willingness to reflect and be open to constructive criticism. In this writing workshop, David emphasizes the importance of embracing the writing process instead of fixating on the final product. He teaches mini-lessons on elements of the craft—fiction or nonfiction—before students embark on a writing project. Students will brainstorm, free write, edit, critique, and revise before learning about the professional publishing process.